Beach Cleaning Guidelines

Be safe out there! Here are our beach cleaning guidelines:

Consider the health and safety of those involved. Check tide times and weather. Wear sturdy boots, and take special care when clambering over rocks and slippery seaweed. Take care with sharp objects, anything which may contain hazardous chemicals, and lifting heavy objects.

Watch out for flares which do get washed up and can present a real hazard. The advice from the coastguard is not to touch them, but to warn people to stay away, and phone the coastguard on 999 to let them know. Examples of what flares look like.

If you are in a remote location, tell someone where you are going.

Let the landowner know what you are doing, and check that they do not have any objections

In the late spring and early summer, be aware of ground nesting birds. You could easily disturb them or even stand on some well camouflaged eggs! We advise to carry out beach cleans at other times of the year.

How to dispose of the rubbish. If there are several bags of rubbish you probably need to make special arrangements with the landowner or the council, for collection from an agreed pick up point.

Also be aware not to disturb roosting seabirds and waders (because they use up valuable energy resources), particularly in bad weather and particularly at high tide when they may not have anywhere else safe to roost.